Anne Frank’s tree sapling heading to Canada

MONTREAL (JTA) — A sapling grown from the famous Anne Frank chestnut tree in Amsterdam will be planted in Canada.

Montreal is the sole Canadian location that will get a sapling from the tree’s cuttings, the Canadian Press reported.

The tree, which cheered the teenage diarist as she gazed out her attic window, made headlines last month when it toppled over during a heavy storm after being weakened by a fungus and insect infestation.

The planting ceremony is scheduled to take place Monday afternoon at the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre.

The other 11 saplings being sent to North America are going to the United States, according to the Canadian Press.

In her storied diary, Frank described going to her family’s attic hideaway almost every morning to stare at the tree, and the little raindrops on its branches, knowing she could find some happiness looking out at the sky.

The tree was in the news as well in 2007 when Amsterdam officials, citing safety issues, ordered it cut down. Supporters who saw the tree as a symbol of freedom protested and it was granted a reprieve.

Ron Csillag is JTA's correspondent in Toronto. He was a reporter for the Canadian Jewish News for 20 years. He is currently a freelance writer for the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Religion News Service in Washington. He has a journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal and has been awarded both a Lilly and Gralla fellowship in religious journalism.